Baby Please Come Home
by MarryTheNight25
Summary: Gabby and Punk have a problem free Christmas planned in Colorado with the rest of the Copeland's when Punk gets some bad news that shakes up their plans...will he make it to Colorado in time for Christmas, or will Gabby be left alone on Christmas? One Shot inspired by Mariah Carey's "(Christmas) Baby Please Come Home" and the story "Whatever Happens" Merry Crimmus! :)


_The snow's coming down  
I'm watching it fall  
Watching the people around  
Baby please come home  
_  
Gabby let out a sigh as she watched the heavy snow fall. She was surrounded by her loved ones, the sound of laughter and the smell of cookies baking; she should've been beyond happy, but someone was missing; a very important someone.

**:: Four days earlier ::**

Punk hung up the phone letting out a sigh and hanging his head in his hands wondering how he was going to break this news to Gabby. The original plan was for the two of them to spend the holidays in a secluded cabin in Colorado, but with a last minute call from the boss those plans had been ruined. Taking a deep breath he walked up the stairs finding Gabby in the master bedroom packing and singing Christmas carols off key. He smiled to himself, but felt the heaviness in his heart knowing he had no choice but to deliver the impending news now seeing he was set to board a plane for LA the next morning.

Gabby sensed someone staring at her and turned to find her ridiculously handsome boyfriend. Her cheeks blushed as she wondered just how long he'd been standing there and just how much of her "Jingle Bell Rock" disaster he'd heard.

"Hey you...did you finally decide it was time to pack? I don't know why you insist on waiting until the last minute; that's why you always forget things." Gabby placed her hands on her hips expecting a witty reply, but noticed something wasn't right. Her sixth sense, the one that worried all the time, began to tingle; this couldn't be good. "Is everything okay?"

Punk took a deep breath knowing he needed to just put it out there, but he knew Gabby would be heart broken. "Well, I just got off the phone with Vince and I'm afraid Christmas isn't going to go quite as planned..." Gabby sunk down on the bed; granted this wasn't their first Christmas together, but this was their first Christmas with her family. For the first time there were no worries in their relationship, things were going great...keyword were.

"Where are you needed now?" Punk noticed the sharp tone is Gabby's voice and decided to just put everything out there and not even bother sugar coating.

"John's dad is in the hospital and they need someone to do press for the Rumble, so I fly out to LA tomorrow morning." Not wanting to see the hurt in her face, Punk avoided her gaze. "The good news is it'll only be two days and I'll be in Colorado by Christmas Eve..." Gabby let out a sigh; she didn't like what she was hearing at all, but they had an agreement about work. Now that she was working for WWE media, there were a few times she had to change plans at the last minute because of travel, but she'd secretly hoped nothing would mess up Christmas. She got up from the bed and went back to folding her clothes, going over the list of things she still needed to pack. Punk was stunned by the silence and at the same time annoyed. He just wished she would yell, scream, cry, or just show some sort of emotion, but he got nothing.

"Can you please say something? I'm sure you're upset about this, but you know I can't stand the silence..." Gabby took a deep breath before giving him a little smirk; she walked over to him wrapping her arms around his neck and settling them at his hair line.

"I will be perfectly fine as soon as you arrive Christmas Eve and we can have the Christmas we planned. Will you promise me you'll be there?" Gabby gave him a bit of a pout, something she'd perfected over time and Punk pulled her close placing a kiss to the top of her head.

"I wouldn't miss Christmas with the Copeland's for anything. I promise I'll be there for dinner because there is no way I'm missing out on your Mom's cooking." Gabby smiled pressing her lips to Punk's before they both got back to the task of packing.

_Pretty lights on the tree  
I'm watching them shine  
You should be here with me  
Baby please come home  
_  
Gabby had cleared the dinner dishes hours earlier; they'd held off for as long as they could before Gabby told them to go ahead. Punk had called and he was stuck in Texas, another flight cancelled because of weather. Gabby hasn't heard much since, but she gave up hope as she mindlessly hung another string of popcorn on the tree. This wasn't how Christmas was supposed to be; they were supposed to be together. Gabby was brought out of her daze by Adam making a loud announcement.

"Can I have everyone's attention for a minute?" Gabby moved off the step ladder sitting next to her mother on the couch wondering just what was so important that Adam was interrupting her sulking. "I thought about waiting until tomorrow to do this, but honestly there's no better time but now. Beth we've been through so much together and somehow made it through...my life wouldn't be the same without you, so in front of your family and mine, I'd like to ask you something." Adam got down on his knee pulling a red velvet box from his pocket; upon opening it, the lights from the tree reflected beautifully off the canary yellow diamond. "Elizabeth, will you marry me?" Beth's eyes glistened with tears as she nodded pulling Adam to his feet and thanking him with a kiss. Gabby watched on trying her best to smile and be happy for her brother and future sister-in-law; they had both done so much for her, but with the absence of her own love, she couldn't feel the glee she so badly wanted to for them.

Gabby looked at her phone seeing it was now nearing midnight; with all hope lost, she decided to call it a night though she figured it would be restless no matter how hard she tried to sleep. After all there wasn't much of a point; it's not like Santa was going to bring her Punk.

_They're singing deck the halls  
But it's not like Christmas at all  
I remember when you were here  
All the fun we had last year  
_

Punk didn't even bother getting pissed off as he watched the last flight from Texas to Colorado flip from delayed to cancelled. He already knew he'd broken his promise, something he hated doing, but there wasn't anything else he could do. As much as he wanted to spend Christmas with Gabby and her family, time was running out, but he couldn't quit now.

_If there was a way  
I'd hold back these tears  
But it's Christmas day  
Baby please come home  
Baby please come home  
Baby please come home_

Gabby tossed and turned most of the night before deciding to get up just after 5AM. She tiptoed through the house deciding to take Rocky and Lakota for a walk. After bundling up, she grabbed the dog leashes and headed out into the snow covered world. As much as she'd hoped for a white Christmas where snowmen would be built and a snowball battle ensuing, she was bummed that Punk wasn't around to show the proper snow angel technique, something they'd discussed and he promised to show everyone.

As Gabby walked along in silence she thought about their first Christmas. Granted it hadn't been a complete disaster as she originally thought, but it was only a few days after her favorite holiday that Punk had sent her to Atlanta. What was his attempt to encourage her to take on new opportunities, turned out to be the worst four months of her life. She had missed him dearly everyday, though she tried her best to hide it, much like she was doing now.

After walking around the secluded area and playing with the dogs, Gabby rubbed her hands together deciding she'd had enough of the cool winter air and it was time to head back to the house. She had a long day ahead of her, one that would be filled with fake smiles and laughs, but she couldn't let melancholy take over completely. She was lucky to have her family with her to celebrate and was determined to make it through the day without crying. Taking a deep breath, Gabby sent Punk a text telling him to head back to Chicago; she would see him in a few days and he should spend the holiday with his family seeing mother nature wouldn't allow him to get to hers.

Gabby walked into the kitchen and prepped the tea kettle to make some hot chocolate. From there she figured she might as well start breakfast seeing the rest of her family would be up soon, plus it would be a nice distraction. Busying herself in the kitchen, Gabby was caught off guard by the sound of "All I Want For Christmas Is You," her chosen cheesy holiday ring tone for Punk and she prepped herself to hear he was heading home; attempting to sound cheerful as she flipped a pancake, she answered.

"Hey, what time is your flight to Chicago?" Punk could tell the dose of fake cheer in her voice and it made him feel worse off then he was, which he didn't think was possible.

"I haven't scheduled anything yet…are you sure you want me to head home? There's a chance I can get on a flight at noon if enough people get bumped."

"Don't do that; I don't want you to spend Christmas in an airport, you should head home. I'm sure the Brook's clan would be thrilled to see you and I'll be home in two days, so we can just do our own little Christmas then."

"I'm really sorry I screwed this up Gabby…granted Christmas is far from my favorite holiday, but I was still looking forward to being with you and your family. It might not mean much, but I'd like to make it up to you…"

"It's okay Punk; work happens and the weather was beyond your control…"

"Very true, but regardless I want to make it up to you." Gabby didn't really understand his insistence, but wasn't in the mood to fight him on it either.

"Okay, what do you have in mind?"

"Look out the window…" Gabby raised an eyebrow not understanding what he was saying.

"What?"

"Look out the window…" Gabby shrugged her shoulders, but did as he asked. Her mouth dropped open as her phone fell from her hand landing in a sink full of water, but she didn't care right now. Gabby screamed loudly as she ran for the front door passing Adam and Beth who were just waking up from their pre-Christmas slumber, leaving them to wonder what was going on. Gabby practically ripped the door from its hinges running in her slippers to the black SUV parked out front, her one and only standing in front of it.

Punk wasn't expecting Gabby to leap on him and the momentum knocked him backwards into a pile of cold snow. Before he could say anything, Gabby's lips were on his making him feel like the fifteen hour, red-bull fueled, through the night drive was worth every agonizing minute; especially taking in the hefty speeding ticket he got in New Mexico that almost made him give up. He knew this was where he was supposed to be, where he needed to be. As Gabby pulled away, Punk pushed a stray blond hair behind her ear.

"Merry Christmas Gabby…I hope this means I've made missing Christmas Eve up to you…" Gabby smiled and he took it as a sign he'd done something right.

"Punk you've made me the happiest girl in the world…I'm glad you're finally home." Pressing their lips together again, he knew that not even Christmas in Chicago would be better then being with Gabby.


End file.
